Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
Report on invasive species on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Appendix 2.
Table 1.
Species that are invasive elsewhere in similar ecosystems but are not known to be present
on Rota
Table 2. Introduced species that are invasive elsewhere
and are also invasive or potentially invasive on Rota
Table 3. Species that are reported as invasive or weedy
elsewhere and are common or weedy on Rota
Table 4. Native and naturalized species that exhibit
aggressive behavior
| Scientific Name | Common Names | Family | Habit |
| Abelmoschus moschatus | English: fautia, musk mallow, musk okra; French: ambrette, gombo musqué, ketmie musquée, graine de musc; Other: kamang, ka‘mang (Guam); karereon, karereon nikapwerik nik, kareron, likonokon (Chuuk); gongul (Palau); metei, mety, methey (Pohnpei); hathongethong, kamwayang, nikapwerik, setmwechin, sotumo (Yap); wakiwaki, wakewake, wakeke, vakeke, aukiki, okeoke, o‘e‘e (Fiji); fou ingo (Niue), fau ingo (Wallis and Futuna); ‘aute toga, fau tagaloa, fua samasama (American Samoa and Samoa); loa, fau‘ingo (Tonga) | Malvaceae | herb |
| Acacia farnesiana | English: Ellington curse, klu, sweet acacia; French: cassie; Other: aroma, popinac, kandaroma (Guam, CNMI); kolu (Hawai'i); vaivai vaka-vatona, vaivai vakavotona, ban baburi, oki (Fiji); te kaibakoa (Kiribati); debena (Nauru) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Acacia longifolia | English: Sydney golden wattle, golden wattle, long-leaved wattle, long-leaved acacia, sallow wattle, coast wattle, golden rods | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia mangium | English: mangium; Other: tuhkehn pwelmwahu (Pohnpei) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia mearnsii | English: black wattle; French: acacia noir | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia melanoxylon | English: Australian blackwood, blackwood acacia | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia nilotica | English: prickly acacia, black thorn, Egyptian thorn, Nile acacia, algaroba, babul, gum arabic tree; French: acacia à gomme; Spanish: algarrobo; Other: tiare (New Caledonia) | Fabaceae | tree |
| Acacia spp. | English: acacia | Fabaceae | shrubs/trees |
| Ageratina riparia | English: spreading mistflower, creeping croftonweed, river eupatorium; Other: hamakua pamakani (Hawai‘i) | Asteraceae | shrub |
| Ailanthus altissima | English: tree of heaven, varnishtree | Simaroubaceae | tree |
| Albizia chinensis | English: Chinese albizia, silktree | Fabaceae | tree |
| Aleurites moluccana | English: candlenut, Indian walnut; French: bancoulier, bancoulier, noyer de bancoul, noyer des Moluques; Other: lumbang (Guam), raguar (Caroline Islands); sakan, shakan (Pohnpei); lama (American Samoa and Samoa); kukui (Hawai’i); tuitui (Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga), 'ama (Marquesas); lauci, lauthe, lauthi, toto, tuitui, tutui, waiwai, sekeci,sikethi, sikeli, nggerenggere (Fiji); tahii tiairi, ti’a’iri, tutui, tahiri (French Polynesia) | Euphorbiaceae | tree |
| Allamanda cathartica | English: yellow trumpet vine, golden trumpet, allamanda, brownbud allamanda, golden allamanda, golden cup; French: monette jaune, li’ane s’aime; Other: pua taunofo (American Samoa and Samoa), lani-ali‘i (Hawai‘i) | Apocynaceae | shrub |
| Alstonia macrophylla | English: devil-tree | Apocynaceae | tree |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides | English: alligator weed | Amaranthaceae | herb |
| Anacardium occidentale | English: cashew, cashew nut; French: anacardier, pomme de cojou, acajou a pommes, pommier d’acajou; Other: kasoi (Guam), ‘apu ‘initia (Samoa); kesiu (Tonga) | Anacardiaceae | tree |
| Andropogon gayanus | English: gamba grass, tambuki grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Andropogon glomeratus | English: bush beardgrass, bushy bluestem | Poaceae | grass |
| Andropogon virginicus | English: broomsedge, yellow bluestem, whisky grass | Poaceae | grass |
| Annona glabra | English: pond apple, alligator apple, bullock's heart, cherimoyer; French: annone des marais, corossolier des marais; Other: uto ni mbulumakau, uto ni bulumakau, kaitambo, kaitambu (Fiji) | Annonaceae | tree |
| Annona squamosa | English: sugar apple, sweetsop, custard apple, sugar apple; French: annone écailleuse, pomme-canelle; Other: atis, ates (Guam); ngel ra ngebard (Palau), ‘apele papalangi, ‘apele Tonga (Tonga), tapotapo (French Polynesia) | Annonaceae | tree |
| Anredera cordifolia | English: Madeira vine, mignonette vine, lamb's tails; Other: ‘uala hupe (Hawai‘i); filikafa (Niue) | Basellaceae | vine |
| Araujia sericifera | English: moth plant, moth catcher, white bladder flower | Asclepiadaceae | shrub |
| Ardisia crenata | English: hen's eyes, Hilo holly, coral berry, Australian holly, scratchthroat; French: arbre à noël | Myrsinaceae | shrub |
| Ardisia elliptica | English: shoebutton ardisia; Other: ati popa'a, atiu (French Polynesia) | Myrsinaceae | shrub |
| Argyreia nervosa | English: elephant creeper, Hawaiian baby woodrose , silver morning glory, woolly morning glory; French: coup d'air, liane a minguet, liane d' argent | Convolvulaceae | vine |
| Aristolochia littoralis | English: Dutchman's pipe, calico flower; Other: fue paipa holani (Tonga) | Aristolochiaceae | vine |
| Arthrostemma ciliatum | English: everblooming eavender | Melastomataceae | herb |
| Arundo donax | English: giant reed, Spanish reed, wild cane; French: canne de Provence, grand roseau; Other: ngasau ni vavalangi (Fiji); fiso papalagi (Samoa); kaho folalahi (Tonga) | Poaceae | grass |
| Asparagus densiflorus | English: asparagus fern, sprengeri fern, smilax, regal fern | Liliaceae | herb |
| Austroeupatorium inulaefolium | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Axonopus compressus | English: blanket grass, carpetgrass; Other: kambutu ni vavalangi (Fiji), vaolima (Samoa) | Poaceae | grass |
| Axonopus fissifolius | English: caratao grass, narrow-leaved carpetgrass | Poaceae | grass |
| Azadirachta indica | English: neem, nim, margosa | Meliaceae | tree |
| Azolla pinnata | English: mosquito fern, ferny azolla, water velvet | Azollaceae | fern |
| Barleria lupulina | English: hophead, Philippine violet | Acanthaceae | shrub |
| Barleria prionitis | English: barleria, porcupine flower | Acanthaceae | shrub |
| Bauhinia purpurea | English: purple orchid tree; purple butterfly tree, pink butterfly tree (Fiji); French: fleurs pourpres | Fabaceae | tree |
| Bauhinia variegata | English: orchid tree; mountain ebony, butterfly tree (Fiji); French: bois de boeuf, sabot boeuf, arbre de Saint-Thomas | Fabaceae | tree |
| Blainvillea gayana | Asteraceae | herb | |
| Bocconia frutescens | English: bocconia, plume-poppy, tree celandine, parrotweed | Papaveraceae | shrub |
| Boerhavia coccinea | English: boerhavia, hog weed, hog feed, red spiderling, wineflower, tar vine; Other: mata pavo, patagon | Nyctaginaceae | herb |
| Breynia disticha | English: snowbush, snowbush breynia, sweetpea bush, foliage-flower | Euphorbiaceae | shrub |
| Brillantaisia lamium | Acanthaceae | shrub | |
| Bryophyllum delagoense | English: chandelier plant | Crassulaceae | herb |
| Buddleja asiatica | English: dog tail; Other: huelo ‘ilio (Hawai'i) | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Buddleja davidii | English: orange eye, butterfly bush, summer lilac | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Buddleja madagascariensis | English: butterfly bush, smoke bush | Scrophulariaceae | shrub |
| Caesalpinia decapetala | English: cats claw, Mysore thorn, Mauritius thorn, wait-a-bit; French: bois sappan; Other: puakelekino (Hawai'i) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calamus spp. | English: rattan; Other: rotan, bejuko-n-halumtano, rotan bejuro-n-halumtan (Guam); bangerenguis ra ngebard (Palau) | Arecaceae | shrub (palm) |
| Calliandra calothyrsus | English: powderpuff red calliandra; Other: kaliana (Samoa) | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calliandra haematocephala | English: red powder puff; French: pompon | Fabaceae | shrub |
| Calliandra surinamensis | English: Surinamese stickpea | Fabaceae | tree |
| Callisia fragrans | English: fragrant inch plant, basketplant, spironema | Commelinaceae | herb |
| Calotropis gigantea | English: calotrope, crown flower, bowstring hemp, madar; French: mercure végétal, mudar; Other: pua-kalaunu (Hawai'i); tahinu (French Polynesia) | Ascelepiadaceae | shrub |
| Calotropis procera | English: calotropis, rubber bush, apple of Sodom, mudar, madar, king’s crown, roostertree; French: arbre à soie | Asclepiadaceae | shrub/tree |
| Cardiospermum grandiflorum | English: balloon vine; heart seed | Sapindaceae | vine |
| Carpobrotus edulis | English: ice plant, pigface, hottentot fig | Aizoaceae | succulent |
| Castilla elastica | English: Panama rubber tree, Mexican rubber tree, uletree; Other: pulu mamoe (American Samoa) | Moraceae | tree |
| Casuarina glauca |